NEW YORK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday
on the heels of a three-session losing streak and ahead of the
U.S. Federal Reserve's final statement of the year that may set
the stage for interest rate hikes in 2015.

A strengthening U.S. economy is expected to trump global
economic worries and the Fed is likely to signal it is still on
track to raise rates, with many investors devoting attention to
whether the central bank drops its longstanding view that it
would wait a "considerable time" before raising rates.

"I don't know that it really makes a huge difference because
ultimately they will hedge anything they do in that regard by
simply saying it is all data-dependent," said Randy Frederick,
managing director of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab
in Austin.

"There does seem to be a lot of focus on the language, but I
don't know that the removal of the language, even if it happens,
really brings the date of rate increases any closer if the data
doesn't support it."

U.S. consumer prices recorded their biggest drop in nearly
six years in November as gasoline prices tumbled, but this
probably will do little to change views the Fed will start
raising interest rates in mid-2015.
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